Interviews

The transcultural ensemble Oktoecho, in collaboration with the Gaïa and Phœbus choirs, presents the program Nordic Voices. This program will be presented on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at the Church of the Annunciation in Oka. The performance will be preceded by a talk at 3:00 p.m.: An Encounter Between Inuit Throat Singing and Western Choral Music. Under the direction of choir director Roseline Blain and Oktoecho director Katia Makdissi-Warren, this program offers an exploration of Nordic identity through Nordic, Scandinavian, and North American voices and traditions. Throat singers Lydia Etok and Nina Segalowitz will express themselves in this process, bringing together three ensembles on stage and adding an Inuit touch to choral singing and original music of Western origin. The program highlights works by Erik Bergman, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Sibelius and Mäntyyärvi, Richard Kidd, and Katia Makdissi-Warren. The following interview brings together Katia and Roseline, who explain this summit of choral singing, throat singing, and chamber music that couldn’t be more contemporary.

TICKETS AND INFO

February 21, 2026 – 3:30 p.m.

Church of the Annunciation
181 Rue des Anges, Oka

QC J0N 1E0

Her name might raise eyebrows at times, but it certainly doesn’t leave anyone indifferent. She can be found on several Montreal stages, as well as across the Atlantic, notably in France where she has already completed two tours. LiKouri, whose name is inspired by both China (Li) and her Lebanese roots (Kouri), is a singer-songwriter, accordionist, and storyteller. She was one of three finalists at the MUZ showcase of world music in 2024, and since then, her rise has been meteoric. She has several projects underway, but one of them is with her trio, formed by Charles Cantin on guitar and Isabelle Gaudreau on clarinet. Together, they are the creators of the “Dans mon quartier” project, which they will present at Le Ministère on February 26, as part of the Mozaïk series of world music evenings, presented by Vision Diversité. For the occasion, Sandra Gasana spoke with Li to learn more about her career and her many projects for 2026.






This Sunday, February 22, at 4 p.m., in the Pierre-Mercure Hall, the first Carte Blanche concert presented by Pro-Musica will feature Alberta pianist Jan Lisiecki. Preceded by a talk led by Maurice Rhéaume, the program explores two themes: first, the theme of the 2026 season, “The Great Romantics,” and second, a collection of 14 dances composed by Romantic and modern composers. This program was conceived and performed by Lisiecki himself, who joined us in Calgary to explain its intricacies.

PAN M 360: We’ve known about your career for a long time, even though you’re barely 30. As a child, you were already well-known as early as 2010! How would you summarize your long progression? Artistically and professionally?

Jan Lisiecki : I was very lucky because I started playing at a very young age.

PAN M 360: That said, we also know that it is difficult or even dangerous for a virtuoso to endure all this pressure from the gifted child.

Jan Lisiecki :I think I’d forgotten about those issues. I tried instead to stay true to myself, to keep learning from others, to receive advice, to listen. In that sense, I was very lucky because even though I started performing at a very young age, I was able to experience working with the best musicians on Earth, to share with them. And when you keep your eyes wide open, it really allows you to create something new while remaining true to yourself. That’s how I saw my own evolution.

PAN M 360: So you had to find your own fuel and feed it, didn’t you?

Jan Lisiecki : In many ways, I’ve stayed the same. I taught a very young person to discover themselves, to try to figure out who they were. I think that’s very important for any artist who has to perform at a concert. Because we’re like Olympic athletes. We have to perform when the time comes. There’s the same kind of stress, the same kind of challenge, and also the same pressure on you.

PAN M 360: Of course, the evaluation of an artist and an athlete differs profoundly.

Jan Lisiecki : Yes, absolutely, and I think one of the main differences between a classical performer and an Olympian athlete is that the classical soloist is more on their own. Of course, they have a teacher… and that’s it. You don’t have that incredible support team that a top athlete has. So, you have to rely on yourself, you have to be able to teach yourself, depend on your own resources when you travel…   

PAN M 360: Competition does exist, but you are judged according to very different criteria.

Jan Lisiecki : Competitions remain an incredible tool for me; they’ve given me many concert opportunities. It was always my goal to play with an orchestra. I didn’t enter competitions primarily for the grant or the prize, but above all to play with an orchestra. In the end, I think the most interesting aspect is playing for yourself. Of course, you play for your audience, but you play first and foremost for yourself; you have to be convinced of your interpretation. If you’re doing it to please someone else, you’re going astray. I had a teacher who told me that trying to repeat what’s already been done is a caricature, just to impress the audience.

PAN M 360: You then become a crowd pleaser.

Jan Lisiecki : Exactly.

PAN M 360: As a player, where do you see your recent improvements and achievements?

Jan Lisiecki : As a pianist, I’m very happy to discover the repertoire; it’s a virtually limitless source. For example, I recently played a Prokofiev concerto for the first time. It was a bit strange for me, very different from anything I’d done before.

For me, in terms of technique, I think the last big step was when I took lessons with Professor Marc Durand, who was at the time at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto. He really helped me create sounds. I was always focused on the beauty of the sound. I loved pianissimo, but projection wasn’t really my goal.

I didn’t want to play very loudly. Marc Durand then helped me to create something bigger.

PAN M 360: What are your next challenges as a player?

Jan Lisiecki : Honestly, I don’t see anything that scares me. I’ve worked with singers, with violinists, I’ve played with great conductors, symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, small ensembles… You also have to know how to work with a singer, how to breathe with him or her, discover languages ​​with which you are not completely comfortable.

PAN M 360: Where are you based?

Jan Lisiecki :I’m still in Calgary, but I also have a place in Poland. My 93-year-old grandmother lives there and is still in good health.

PAN M 360: A few words on each of the 14 pieces in the Montreal program? It’s an ambitious and diverse program, from Piazzolla to Martinu.

Jan Lisiecki :

Bohuslav Martinů, 3 Danses tchèques, H. 154 : Martinů is a Czech composer. Very enjoyable. This music always carries you along. You can also hear the folk elements. It’s quite angular, I’d say. Contemporary in that sense, but you can still feel the melodic line. For me, it’s a discovery.

Manuel De Falla, Danza Española N° 2, N° 1:   The arrangement of this piece comes from the composer himself or was approved by him. It’s interesting because it has this incredible orchestral sound, this orchestral energy. And at the same time, it’s written for the piano. You can imagine yourself in Spain. That’s the aim of this program: a journey through the world of dance. 

Karol Szymanowski, 4 Danses polonaises, M60 :  In my previous program, I had a set of Szymanowski pieces that weren’t so difficult to play but very difficult to memorize—so much tonality and complicated harmonies. It didn’t always seem logical to me, but here it’s simpler. It’s a mix of dissonance and consonance, and we have this Polish dance rhythm in the middle of it all. It took me a while to find my own voice in it.

Franz Schubert, 16 Danses allemandes, D. 783 :   Schubert isn’t usually associated with dance music, and perhaps that’s not his strength. In fact, these 16 dances are very short pieces and contain a lot of repetition. I was able to read them all quite easily in a day after asking myself, “Oh! What am I going to do with this musically?” Nevertheless, for me, it’s one of the best parts of the program because there’s so much energy, so much elegance, and also so much room for change because of the repetition. I can have fun in concert and spontaneously decide to do something different.

Béla Bartók, Danses folkloriques roumaines, Sz. 56 :  Some people are familiar with these dances. However, the arrangements are often not very good, whereas here we have the original version. I think the key here is the transition: when you go from Schubert to Bartók, you stay in the same key, and the dance continues with the same flow. You don’t feel like you’re in a completely different world. And I think that’s why Béla Bartók works so well.

Alberto Ginastera, Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2: Ginastera is a fantastic composer for the piano, and these are three great dances. The first dance has an incredible writing style; the second is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces on this program, possessing an elegance enriched by adversity—otherwise, it would be too kitschy. And it leads into a dance of the outlaw. Very technical, very demanding… It’s simply amazing!  Frédéric Chopin, Grande valse brillante, Op. 18 : Cette valse est absolument magnifiques. Qui plus est, très amusante à jouer. Puisqu’ il y a beaucoup de répétitions dans cette pièce, vous avez beaucoup de flexibilité dans la façon de l’exécuter. C’est l’un des morceaux que j’ai le plus joués.

Johannes Brahms, Valse, Op. 39 N° 3: From Chopin, we move directly to one of the two Brahms waltzes I’ve often played. When I played No. 3 in Vienna earlier this year, I was asked if it was Chopin. It relies on a delicate arrangement in this program and makes a charming interlude for what follows.

Frédéric Chopin, Valses, Op. 34, N° 1 and N° 2  & Johannes Brahms, Valse, Op. 39 N° 15:

These pieces were composed around the same time. Of course, but you don’t really think about Brahms and Chopin. Brahms is darker, more serious, while Chopin was always romantic. However, this contrast also highlights the similarities; the way these pieces are combined is important, beyond just preparing for performance. Both of Chopin’s pieces are wonderful. Chopin brought forward his own vision, his world of colors and emotions that exist only in his music.

Astor Piazzolla, Libertango:  I’ve always loved tango, but also the bandoneon, which I’d love to learn to play; it would be quite a challenge. For now, this is as far as I’ve been able to go with this music. This transcription incorporates the piano and the bandoneon, the common lines of the composition and the improvisation, which makes it very technically challenging to play. Astor played it slowly and maintained a magnificent tension with his quartet (piano, bandoneon, double bass, violin). For my part, I continue to experiment with this arrangement by Nikola Kuznetsov. It’s a very dissonant, very energetic, very modern Argentine tango.

Isaac Albéniz, España, Op. 165 n° 2: Tango:  Here again in this program we have a contrast between the previous piece and that of Albéniz, with less tension, a kind of elegant dance.

Manuel De Falla, Danse du feu (Ritual Fire Dance) :  Once again, we have that great Spanish energy. Super!

Frédéric Chopin, Polonaise en la bémol majeur, Op. 53 : This is a work by Chopin, composed late in his life. I think the audience will appreciate it; it’s a good way to conclude.

PAN M 360: Why did you choose dance as the main theme of this program?

Jan Lisiecki : My last program was based on preludes, the one before that on nocturnes, and now here are the dances. It’s a kind of continuity and also a way to create an original program. Of course, bringing together wonderful works that people love is very good, but it’s also very good and different to conceive such a program, to create an arc, a thematic cohesion.

PAN M 360: In short? 

Jan Lisiecki : I sought to achieve an interesting balance, to find a way to show not only the Beethovens, the Chopins, the Mozarts, but also to find these gems and present them to the public.

Publicité panam

The journey of this flamboyant 60 something-year-old does not seem to be coming to an end anytime soon, and it will be beautifully summarized on stage this Tuesday, February 17, at 5 p.m., at Le 9e in the Eaton Center.

Soprano Sharon Azrieli is a key figure in Montreal, Quebec, and Canadian culture. A vibrant opera singer, well versed in the classical repertoire as well as the Great American Songbook, modern jazz, and sacred Jewish music, Sharon Azrieli has enjoyed a long career and has also been one of the most influential patrons of the arts in the local music scene. She is responsible for the AMACC (Azrieli Music Arts and Culture Centre), a natural extension of the Azrieli Foundation, which was started in 1989 by her late father David J. Azrieli (1922-2014), a wealthy architect and real estate developer.

On the eve of what promises to be a packed show (one hour long), PAN M 360 caught up with Sharon to find out more.

TICKETS AND INFOS HERE

PAN M 360: How did you design your menu for Le 9e?

Sharon Azrieli: It will be a true Montreal concert, a true Quebec concert, even featuring excerpts from Gilles Vigneault! With my musical director, the wonderful pianist John Roney, I assembled (not composed) a song for Canada. I was looking for a pro-Canada song, but couldn’t find one, so John and I put one together from several Canadian songs.

PAN M 360: So you took a few fragments from each song.  Today, we call that a mashup!

Sharon Azrieli: Exactly, that’s it! I hope we did this mashup right, you’ll have to let me know after the concert!

PAN M 360: Okay!

Sharon Azrieli: In any case, we really worked hard… I did a lot of research to find songs that were pro-Quebec and pro-Canada. But that song didn’t exist, so we made it from several well-known and lesser-known songs.

PAN M 360: What is the core of this show?

Sharon Azrieli:  Basically, this show tells the story of my life. And I’m not a young woman! But what John Roney and I have put together is fantastic! I’ll even be dancing with four wonderful men who will twirl me around! 

PAN M 360: Not exactly a recital!

Sharon Azrieli: This is the first time I’ve done this. The first time I’ve danced. The first time I’ve spoken to the audience like this, with monologues between songs. Yes, it’s completely new to me!

PAN M 360: What instruments will be featured in the concert?

Sharon Azrieli: It will be piano and vocals, not counting the men who will join me on stage. I am very fortunate to be working with John Roney, my pianist and musical director. In addition to being an excellent pianist, he is so patient , so just with me and gives such sound advice… In short, he is perfect!

PAN M 360: An overview of the repertoire?

Sharon Azrieli: As I said, this is my life. I sing a varied repertoire, I will perform an excerpt from a piece by André Previn (Magic To Do), then the aria “O Mio Babbino Caro”, a very famous aria by Puccini (Gianni Schicchi ), perhaps the first opera aria I ever learned. We’re starting at the beginning of my life!

I then perform a song simply titled Chanson, from the film The Baker’s Wife (an American adaptation of Marcel Pagnol’s French film La femme du boulanger), composed by Stephen Schwartz, which is performed half in French and half in English.

What follows is jazz, for example, “C’est si bon,” which I perform in French, as well as excerpts from George Gershwin (“S’Wonderful,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay”). We continue with the mashup in tribute to Canada, then I will sing “Get Happy” (Harold Arlen/ Ted Koehler) as performed by Judy Garland.

And then my male colleagues will take to the stage to sing. And it will be the first time, old woman that I am, that I will dance on stage Broadway style. Incredible… so much fun! Of course, I might stumble, put the wrong foot forward… anyway, the audience will be amazed to see me dancing on stage!

PAN M 360: It’ll be entertaining, no matter what happens!

Sharon Azrieli: I hope so! So there will be this tribute to Judy Garland and then a “Rainbow medley”, made up of all my favorite songs about rainbows that I have been singing for a long time and still sing to my grandchildren.

PAN M 360: There is also some very good Jewish music on the program, since that is also part of who you are.

This is my life: I learned Jewish music from my parents, then I learned opera singing, and then… at my age it becomes very difficult, nobody sings opera at my age. I consider myself very lucky to still have a voice! I can still sing, but I’m not stupid (laughs), and I still try to sing the classical repertoire and also vary the repertoire towards Jewish music, Broadway music, or jazz. You know, you can be in your sixties or even eighties and still sing jazz!

PAN M 360: And what will be the Jewish inspiration for this program?

Sharon Azrieli: Of course! There will be, among others, “Sabbath Prayer”, a song from the movie Fiddler on the Roof, and it’s very beautiful when the men sing on stage. And then I’ll do Michel Legrand, “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” from the movie Yentl (Barbra Streisand). I myself recorded a tribute to Michel Legrand that I still find relevant, never boring or redundant, always creative. And then I’ll do “Everybody Says Don’t”, an incredible song by Stephen Sondheim (from the musical Anyone Can Whistle). Another song with a Jewish flavor, but which isn’t actually Jewish, is a song from Leonard Bernstein’s opera Candide that I often perform, called “I’m Easily Assimilated”, completely revisited with four dancers who throw me into the air—you won’t believe it! Obviously, I’m not a dancer, and I might end up laughing at myself!

Finally, there will be sacred Jewish music, the real thing, which I learned from the great cantor Sol Zim (Solomon Zimelman), who was my teacher.

PAN M 360: In summary?

Sharon Azrieli: Everything you see and hear will be authentic. It will only be about the truth about me as a singer, but also as a mother and grandmother. It’s all true, all these songs, it’s me… because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to memorize them, haha!

She doesn’t come from a family of griots, but if she has to attribute her success to one person, it’s probably her grandmother. Indeed, Senny Camara went to live with her grandmother from a very young age, and it was her grandmother who introduced her to music, first to singing and then to the kora. Today, she travels the world with her 21-string instrument to spread human values. She recently received an award at the Aga Khan Music Awards in London in November 2025, and this continues to open doors for her. In addition to being a singer, guitarist, and kora virtuoso, she also self-produced her album Yéné, released in 2024. But it’s her meeting with Zal Sissokho that we’re about to witness (and yes, they’ve never met before) at Balattou on February 20th, during her very first visit to Canada. She’ll take the opportunity to do a short tour of the country. Our journalist Sandra Gasana joined her live from France to find out more about her and her background.




Their names are Vanessa Croome and Sahara von Hattenberger. The first is a soprano and the other is a cellist. They form an unlikely duo, rarely used in classical music, hence their name, both intriguing and appealing.

Their reality: the scarcity of compositions specifically designed for their training. Their solution: order new ones! The result of their calls: the album I Wish I Were Dead, which will be released by ATMA Classique on February 20, 2026.

READ THE ALBUM REVIEW

A program of contemporary music, accessible, non-experimental but original and surprising. Sometimes more lyrical, other times more atmospheric, the pieces presented are from today’s talented composers, mostly from Quebec (Montreal). Fong Jeffrey, Airat Ichmouratov, Luna Pearl Woolf, Laurence Jobidon, Nicole Lizée. Joining them are the American Maya Fridman and the Swede Anders Hillborg.

An unusual and captivating album, which I discuss with the two artists in this interview (why this title?) conducted in French and English, with respective translated subtitles.

On February 24, the program will be performed in its entirety at the Bourgie Hall in Montreal. Looking much forward to it!

DETAILS AND TICKETS

Interview bilingual (FR and ENG) with respective translated subtitles

La violoniste Marie Nadeau-Tremblay a failli arrêter la pratique du violon. C’est la rencontre avec la musique baroque qui lui a donné le souffle de continuer et de faire carrière pour de bon. Après un premier album nommé Préludes et solitude, c’est Obsession, sorti fin 2025 sous étiquette ATMA, qui cristallise toute la passion de la jeune artiste pour cette musique. 

Une obsession profitable car ça lui a permis de recevoir le Prix Opus 2026 dans la catégorie Album de l’année – Musique médiévale, de la renaissance et baroque. J’ai parlé de cet album bien nommé avec Marie, ainsi qu’avec le luthiste Kerry Bursey, qui joue également sur l’album. 

LISEZ LA CRITIQUE PANM360 DE L’ALBUM OBSESSION

Bernardino Femminieli is someone to be studied. Whether that study happens in psychiatric journals, police reports depends on how you read this homoerotic, masochistic philosopher’s words. Is it the fantasy of a perverted schizophrenic, or some kind of Marxist evangelist gospel. In a world weighed down by Judeo Christian guilt and ritual self punishment, Bernardino Femminieli plays the role of Max Cady, the sly antagonist who shrugs off conventional morality. Since the release of L’Exil in 2016, he has steadily ramped up the shock value of this persona. With the new video for Apprenti Gendarme, it is hard to imagine where he could go next. Shock turns into awe. Disgust turns into laughter. It is art. Not just because he lives in Paris now, but because he commits to it fully. It is clearly not made to please the masses.

If I tried describing the video it would feel incriminating. You just have to watch it:

If the video feels like a provocation, the man behind it speaks with a disarming calm. Off stage, the shock tactics give way to dry humor, blunt admissions, and the occasional romantic confession. We asked Bernardino Femminieli about rituals, exile, rejection, prison fantasies, and Valentine’s Day.

PAN M 360: Before recording vocals on a track or singing live, do you have any preparation or specific ritual to get into the mood?

Bernardino Femminieli: In the studio, I like to drink a beer and have a few notes on hand. For live shows, I like to be alone before the performance, if possible, and warm up.

PAN M 360: Why did you decide to move to France? Was it to be closer to your Italian roots?

Bernardino Femminieli: For many reasons, but mostly to start a new life somewhere else.

PAN M 360: On your latest album released in 2024, all the tracks were produced in Paris except for “La vie Gigi !”, produced in Grey Valley, a remote spot in the Laurentians. What came out of that session at Studio Panique?

Bernardino Femminieli: It is a particular record, recorded in 2020 after the first lockdown. Julien Gasc approached me to make an album in less than two weeks, him doing the music and me writing the lyrics. It was a kind of road movie about a broken man wandering around and meeting people with whom he would open his heart.

Bernardino Femminieli: “La vie, Gigi !” is the only track I composed with Adrien Belkout, my spiritual coach, and with Gasc. I even invited Mr. Flash to play on it and asked Dominic to mix the track from his home, since I was unable to return to Canada.

Bernardino Femminieli: The album took several years to come out and was categorically rejected and ignored by everyone in France, even though it was a tribute to a France struggling to find its bearings. Haha.

PAN M 360: This track was mixed by Dominic Vanchesteing, with whom you worked on L’Exil and several other projects. The public wants to know: are you in love?

Bernardino Femminieli: Yes. Since forever.

PAN M 360: If you could bring a musician back to life to collaborate on your next album, who would it be and why?

Bernardino Femminieli: I think it is better to leave the dead where they are.

PAN M 360: Hypothetically, if Bernardino Femminieli ended up in prison, what crime would he have committed to get there?

Bernardino Femminieli: Torture and kidnapping. Not for ransom. On principle.

PAN M 360: What do you say to people who claim you are the sex symbol of our time?

Bernardino Femminieli: You are cute.

PAN M 360: What can we expect from your Valentine’s Day concert at Taverne Tour? Would you recommend bringing a first date?

Bernardino Femminieli: Anti French anachronistic disco songs. Obviously. I am the break dealer.

When you discover the unique journey of Dice B—rapper, producer, journalist, and youth worker—you understand why he was chosen as spokesperson for Black History Month 2026. This role comes with several responsibilities, such as speaking in schools, participating in panel discussions for Black History Month events, and giving interviews to media outlets like PAN M 360. This interview reveals a truly inspiring profile, highlighting all facets of the artist and the common thread running through it all. He also shared some exciting news, including a single he collaborated on with his younger brother, Sun Shan, titled “Le gardien de mon frère.” Our journalist, Sandra Gasana, had the opportunity to speak with the artist to learn more about his role as spokesperson and, above all, all his accomplishments to date.






The Turkish pianist Fazil Say is one of the most remarkable artists of the last 30 years. His particular style, crouched over his keyboard, almost embracing it and murmuring more or less loudly while playing, may remind one of Glenn Gould. The artist, however, is more versatile than the Canadian. He does not shy away from the stage, on the contrary. He gives about a hundred concerts a year. Moreover, he composes a lot. He has already reached number 120 in his opus catalogue. Symphonies, concertos, and piano pieces, of course. In 2022, he recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations, about twenty years after his previous album dedicated to the composer. Since then, he has been performing them in concert all over the world. On Tuesday, February 17, he will perform them at the Bourgie Hall in Montreal, as part of the “Exceptional Pianists” series (and believe me, in Say’s case, it’s true!). In addition, he will also play several of his piano works, including Black Earth and his Sonata Yeni Hayat (“A New Life”). I discussed Bach and his own music with Fazil Say before his visit to Montreal.

CONCERT DETAILS (No tickets are available, the concert is sold out)

PanM360: The recorded Goldberg Variations arrived in 2022, about twenty years after the previous recording dedicated to Bach. Why such a long hiatus?

Fazil Say: You know, I play between 90 and 100 concerts a year, in addition to writing a lot of music. Bach is important in my life, but you have to take the time to learn this music, especially major works like the Goldbergs. For the Goldbergs, it was the pandemic that gave me the opportunity. During the lockdown, I felt the urge to take the time that was suddenly offered to me to immerse myself in certain Great Works, such as the Goldbergs and Schubert’s last sonatas. For the Variations, I dedicated 3-4 months to the analysis, which was a great joy for me.

PanM360: In concert, do you do all the reprises?

Fazil Say: If we do them all, the piece can last almost 90 minutes. I decided to cut some repetitions and offer the entire thing in a timing of about 55-60 minutes. I don’t think this hurts the piece, and it allows me to offer a different second part of the concert.

PanM360: The Goldberg Variations are a masterpiece of musical architecture. They can be played with different narrative perspectives. Gould 1955 is almost atomistic, with each movement as a universe in itself. One can be completely holistic, with a pointed arch peak, like in a cross of ogives, at variation no. 16, a French Overture that can serve as a “second start” towards the second half. One can also conceive the whole as ten groups of three variations (a character piece, a virtuosic variation, and a canon) to which the initial Aria and its final reprise are added. In short, what is your narrative vision of this edifice?

Fazil Say: You are right to say that there are ten groups of three variations. You are also right to talk about the symbolic value of variation no. 16, right in the middle of the structure. For my part, I never play that way, with that idea in mind. I rather consider the long line, from beginning to end.

PanM360: Since 2022, how have the Variations evolved under your playing? What changes have you made to them, compared to the recording?

Fazil Say: After several dozen performances, I think the ideas are clearer, the whole is more mature. It’s normal. It’s a process that resembles life. I think my way of playing now is better than on the record.

PanM360: Do you want to play and, perhaps, record more Bach?

Fazil Say: I would like to record The Well-Tempered Clavier soon. But soon doesn’t mean tomorrow (laughs). Through all my concerts, commissioned works, chamber music, etc., I have to find the time. My next two years are already completely booked. And the Clavier is even more demanding than the Variations. So maybe in two years, a little more, I will be able to do the First Book. Then the Second, but I haven’t scheduled that yet…

PanM360: In the second part of the concert, on February 17, you will play your piano compositions, several of which are influenced by jazz. What place does this music have in your life?

Fazil Say: I have loved jazz all my life. Jazz and classical are not very different. I see jazz as a contemporary development of harmony and rhythmic play. A composer today must be interested in all kinds of music. Also the traditional music of one’s own country, or other countries, which I often incorporate into my compositions.

PanM360: Let’s talk about it. You will play, among other pieces, Black Earth, one of your first compositions and one of the most performed in the world. At one point, you mute the piano strings with one hand while playing with the other. It produces a sound that resembles a saz, a traditional Turkish instrument. How did you come up with this idea?

Fazil Say: By doing tests, experiments. I realised that it produced this sound, very interesting, very particular. That said, I didn’t invent anything. The prepared piano is a 20th-century innovation by John Cage. He would place pieces of wood, or metal, or plastic between certain strings to create strange percussive sounds. I don’t do that, but I draw inspiration from it.

PanM360: The program also includes the Sonata Yeni Hayat (New Life), Op. 99. What can you tell us about it? Why this title?

Fazil Say: I wrote it at the end of the lockdown during the pandemic period. I had in mind this terrible ordeal and all those deaths. I felt the urge to celebrate a new beginning. Hence the title. It’s a rather expressive piece, full of drama but also of hope.

I am also happy to be able to play some of my pieces in Canada. They are performed quite often elsewhere in the world, but, to my knowledge, not so much in your country. I hope people will enjoy them and want to hear more.

PanM360: What are you currently writing?

Fazil Say: Among others, a concerto for piano four hands. And other pieces for orchestra.

PanM360: There are no operas in your catalogue yet. Are you interested in writing one someday?

Fazil Say: I have been asked a few times to do it. The problem is finding a subject and especially a libretto that suits me. Moreover, I am someone more familiar with instrumental music. I should also learn how to write an opera, a challenge in itself, as it is an art with its own requirements, its codes, etc. Let’s just say it’s not on my agenda for the moment.

PanM360: But it’s not impossible…

Fazil Say: One should never say impossible.

PROGRAMME

J. S. BACH Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Fazil SAY
Piano Sonata, Op. 99, “Yeni hayat” [New life]
Nazim, Op. 12, No. 1
Ses, Op. 40b
Kumru, Op. 12, No. 2  
Black Earth, Op. 8
Claros: Temple of Prophecies, Op. 112
Summertime Variations, Op. 20
Paganini Jazz, Op. 5c

It took a meeting at a festival in Brasilia for Veeby and the collective of 11 Afro-Brazilian women, Funmilayo Afrobeat Orquestra, to decide to collaborate on their latest project: an EP entitled Muta Resistanz. Conceived during a ten-day residency in São Paulo in 2023, under the musical direction of Fredy Massamba, Veeby wrote all the lyrics and was the lead vocalist for the project. The whole thing was mixed and mastered in Brussels by Didier Touch, making it an international project involving Canada, Brazil, Congo, Cameroon, and Belgium. That said, this isn’t Veeby’s first project with female musicians. In fact, she had already collaborated with the women’s group Jigeen Ñi in Senegal a few years ago, with the same desire to highlight female musicians. In addition to this EP, Veeby is currently busy with Immersion 2026 with activities planned for February 14 and 15 at the McCord Museum, before flying to Gabon to participate in Black History Month. A woman of many talents! Our reporter Sandra Gasana spoke with her between two appointments to discuss her many projects.






Jazz multi-instrumentalist Julien Fillion captivates the imagination with his cinematic and immersive instrumental pieces. We spoke with him on the eve of his February 14 concert at Verre Bouteille, as part of the Taverne Tour.

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PAN M 360: First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your music, which I would describe as sophisticated, grandiose, and deeply inspiring.

Julien Fillion : Thank you, that’s very kind.

PAN M 360: You released an excellent EP entitled ego in 2024, followed in 2025 by an LP version, ego.alt. What was the mindset behind the ego EP, and how does it differ from that of the resulting album, ego.alt?

Julien Fillion : For me, ego.alt was really a second wind for ego. Once the EP was finished and with the idea of the film/live session project coming up, I felt like I hadn’t completely finished the work yet. Having to present this idea to a team forced me to push my thinking a little further, and quite naturally, new ideas for arrangements emerged. I had a lot of fun with Ghyslain Luc on the mix, taking the songs in a different direction.

En gros, c’est essentiellement la même musique, les mêmes arrangements, mais le fait de tout jouer en live change vraiment la donne. Il n’y a aucun montage, absolument aucun, ce qui rend le résultat beaucoup plus brut. Pour moi, c’est plus vivant, plus honnête et, au final, meilleur.

PAN M 360: You are a multi-instrumentalist: saxophone, keyboards, guitar, and electronic production are all strong points in your repertoire. What do these different instruments represent for you as a composer and musical director?

Julien Fillion : It all started with the guitar when I was a kid, and the saxophone came about by chance during an audition in high school. But my true love for the instrument really blossomed in college. I was that long-haired teenager who played rock music and electric guitar, haha.

Ultimately, all these instruments are different ways for me to express myself. I consider myself lucky to be able to play so many things, because it keeps me from getting bored and allows me to explore lots of different textures.

That said, I must admit that the saxophone remains MY instrument. It’s the one I’ve spent the most hours with, the one I’m most demanding with, and it’s also the one that requires the most courage from me. When I play the sax, I always feel like I’m letting others in on a part of my private life. It’s both the instrument I’ve mastered the most and the one that challenges me the most.

photo du site Costume Records

PAN M 360: Tell me a little about your collaborations with Bobby Bazini, Diane Tell, Adib Alkhalidey, and Les Louanges. How did these collaborations come about, and what form did they take artistically?

Julien Fillion : I consider myself really lucky to have crossed paths with these artists, because they truly nurtured and inspired the musician and artist that I have become. It’s hard to say exactly how these encounters came about… Music is a small world: you replace someone here, someone talks about you there, and poof, you find yourself on tour or in the studio.

“The only thing I can control is my work ethic. I’ve always prepared myself really well, because I strongly believe that you only get one chance in this business, and that first impressions are extremely important.”

PAN M 360: Your music has a strong cinematic dimension. It feels like you’re trying to draw us into vast, contemplative worlds, sometimes desert-like, sometimes cosmic (v(.)id, sahara, supernova). What are your sources of inspiration when you compose? Movies, video games, novels, visual arts… or something else entirely?

Julien Fillion : I’m really glad you see that, because that’s kind of my goal, haha. I’d love to give a super poetic answer, but in reality, I can’t really point to a specific source that inspires me every time. It’s more of a mix of my mood over the weeks of creation, production, rehearsals…

I feel like my brain ends up synthesizing everything around me and sending me ideas. For me, composing is really a craft: you shape it little by little, testing textures and atmospheres until it takes shape. And sometimes, these contemplative or desert-like worlds emerge on their own, as if the music had a life of its own.

photo from Costume Records

PAN M 360: Musically speaking, I hear echoes of Pink Floyd and Ennio Morricone, but also a wide variety of influences from all over the world. What are the musical influences behind your project (jazz, film music, etc.)?

Julien Fillion : I listen to everything, really, and I go through phases. I might spend two months listening only to Quebecois music, then switch to a Coltrane or Broïl phase. But my foundations—the music of my childhood—are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Hendrix. I think that will always stay with me. It all mixes together in my head and ends up reappearing in my compositions, often in an intuitive way.

PAN M 360: Finally, what can we expect from your performance on February 14 at Verre Bouteille, as part of the Taverne Tour?

Julien Fillion : It’s going to be wild, that’s for sure! I can’t wait to play in Montreal, especially since we haven’t played here since the launch in October 2024. My friends and I have been playing together for about 10 years—the energy is incredible and we have so much fun on stage. The show will be intense, lively, sometimes gentle, sometimes completely wild… but always sincere. My goal is for the audience to feel how much we enjoy playing and leave with their heads full of music.

Julien Fillion will be performing on February 14 at Le Verre Bouteille as part of the Taverne Tour.

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